SPECIAL OLYMPICS ARIZONA INC

Special Olympics Unified Sports® is an inclusive sports program that combines an approximately equal number of Special Olympics athletes (individuals with intellectual disabilities) and partners (individuals without intellectual disabilities) on teams for training and competition

The Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program is aimed at promoting social inclusion through intentionally planned and implemented activities affecting systems-wide change. With sports as the foundation, the three component model offers a unique combination of effective activities that equip young people with tools and training to create sports, classroom and school climates of acceptance. These are school climates where students with disabilities feel welcome and are routinely included in, and feel a part of, all activities, opportunities and functions.

This is accomplished by implementing inclusive sports, inclusive youth leadership opportunities, and whole school engagement. The program is designed to be woven into the fabric of the school, enhancing current efforts and providing rich opportunities that lead to meaningful change in creating a socially inclusive school that supports and engages all learners. What a Unified Champion School “looks like” can vary greatly from school to school, based on the needs, goals, schedules and other factors unique to each school; but the basic building blocks remain the same.

Together we are creating a Unified Generation that Chooses to Include. Join us.

Special Olympics Arizona is a social change organization that utilizes sports and Unified programs as a catalyst for social change. Our vision is to expand the opportunities for social change by increasing access to the arts, building new audiences, and showcasing the many talents of our Special Olympics Athletes and Unified Partners through Unified Arts. The goal of Unified Arts is to empower people of all ages, with and without intellectual disabilities, to develop their creative and artistic skills while forming lifelong friendships with their local community.

Unified Arts with Special Olympics Arizona is different from every other free art program in the state as it is housed both within school and in communities and is open to all ages, all abilities, and all levels of art knowledge!

Through Unified Arts, you can join esports, robotics, music, photography, gardening, and art contests all year long!

n 1997, Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® began offering free health screenings and education to Special Olympics athletes in a welcoming, fun environment. Since then, we have delivered over 2 million free health screenings and trained more than 260,000 health professionals and students to treat people with intellectual disabilities. These providers take these skills back to their practices and provide higher quality health care to people with ID – not just Special Olympics athletes – in their communities. We offer health screening in eight areas:

Fit Feet (podiatry), FUNfitness (physical therapy), Health Promotion (better health and well-being), Healthy Hearing (audiology), MedFest (sports physical exam), Special Olympics-Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes (vision), Special Smiles (dentistry), and Strong Minds (emotional well-being)

SOAZ/AIA Unified Sports® is about inclusion and recognition of the Special Olympics athletes on their high school campus. Unified Sports® athletes have the opportunity to enjoy sports competition and represent their school as an official team on campus. The SOAZ/AIA Unified Sports® program offers individuals with and without disabilities a typical high school sports experience including earning an athletic letter, wearing a letterman's jacket, and being recognized at school pep assemblies.

Special Olympics Young Athletes is a sport and play program for children with and without intellectual disabilities (ID), ages 2 to 7 years old. Young Athletes introduces basic sport skills, like running, kicking and throwing. Young Athletes offers families, teachers, caregivers and people from the community the chance to share the joy of sports with all children.

Since implementation of Healthy LEAP: Lifestyle, Education and Practice, Special Olympics Arizona has learned best practices through the program and discovered it was missing practical manners of implementing fitness into everyday routines. In 2018, SOAZ will be re-launching the free program to include a fitness portion adapted for all levels! Adopted from SOfit from Special Olympics Minnesota, Healthy LEAP into Fitness will include a new chapter dedicated to educating and encouraging Athletes and partners on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle through increased physical activity and improved daily nutrition. The Healthy LEAP into Fitness program allows SOAZ Athletes and Partners to experience a heightened social engagement and better emotional wellbeing as a byproduct of the inclusive and unified nature of this program.

The program is modeled to include health education, class educational activity, and a class workout that is provided from UpFitNFun.com! Like Healthy LEAP, this program is designed to be taught in an eight week format- either as a team at practice or as a health promotion class. Each coach is given a Coach's Manual with the complete health lesson and tools and every participant receives a Playbook where they are able to take notes and set personal goals. Healthy LEAP into Fitness is compromised of four pillars of health: emotional, nutritional, physical, and social that are each comprised of three lessons.

When you think of Arizona, I bet most of you picture cacti, tumbleweeds, and 100+ degree weather. What you should picture is a multitude of wide open spaces, dramatic landscapes, and hiking trails suitable for all skill levels! What's great about hiking is that you can do it practically anywhere, with minimal gear and no cost! Every couple of months, Special Olympics Arizona will be releasing a new trail to get you outdoors and moving-all over the state! We will be hosting various hiking events throughout the state.

Interested in becoming more involved with Unified Hiking? Check out our Unified Hiking Advisory Committee!

The goal of the Unified Hiking Advisory Committee (UHAC) is to assure that Special Olympics Arizona utilizes Arizona's natural beauty and resources to provide opportunities for SOAZ athletes and supporters to continue living healthy, active lifestyles. The Unified Hiking Advisory Committee oversees Special Olympics Unified Hiking program and initiatives. Made up of parks and recreation staff, rangers, educators, overall outdoor enthusiasts, and volunteers, the UHAC helps to create and promote overall outdoor health and wellness activities, programs, and outdoor resources including safety and health information.

Through Unified Music, you can get engaged in a few different ways starting with the launch of our Unified Music Ukulele Curriculum. Thanks to our partnership with Korg Education, Tanglewood Guitars, Guitars in the Classroom, and the Country Music Association (CMA), your school or community delegation can receive Unified Music Ukulele Kits whichincludes a ukulele, colored strings, electronic tuner, gig bag, and an adaptive Ukulele Curriculum that incorporates learning for people of all abilities and all ages. The Unified Music Ukulele Curriculum allows for an easy, turn-key approach that empowers people with all levels of music knowledge to learn how to play the uke! As of the 2019-2020 school year, Special Olympics Arizona already has over 250 participants statewide who are loving to learn how to play the ukulele and are eager to start showing off their musical abilities!